08 54
Chapter 116
Sapphire Springs Resort was sprawling, and Charlene had no clue where Thorne and the gang were.
Descending the stairs, she found no sign of them.
The day hadn’t turned to night just yet, so Charlene, with the help of two staff members, decided to head up the hill.
The air was crisp, but Charlene was bundled up tight and hardly felt the cold.
*Up on the hill, she let the breeze wash over her as she picked apples, a simple activity that eased her mind.
In no time, they had managed to fill two or three crates with apples.
Instead of heading back immediately, Charlene took a moment to admire the sunset, which was particularly stunning that evening.
That’s when she heard footsteps and a child’s voice.
Turning, she found herself face–to–face with Granger.
Granger, equally surprised to see her, paused for a moment.
The voice in the video called out excitedly, “It’s that lady!”
It turned out, Granger was video calling Daisy, showing her the apple trees and promising to pick some for her the next day.
He hadn’t expected to run into Charlene, who had decided to venture up the hill.
Even though they had met a few times before and Granger had lent her a hand, Charlene still felt a distance she wasn’t keen on bridging.
Her face hardened when she saw him, but softened again when she heard Daisy’s voice.
Granger noticed the change in her expression.
He didn’t approach her right away, instead asking, “Daisy wants to talk to you, is that okay?”
Leaving the convalescent home that day, Charlene had felt a profound heaviness, a suffocating sadness.
Encountering them, though it seemed like Daisy wanted her company, Charlene felt it was Daisy who was offering comfort, helping her breathe through the emotional turmoil.
With that thought, she nodded.
Granger extended his phone to her, keeping a respectful distance of a few yards.
After chatting with Daisy, who revealed she was out with her grandmother and couldn’t join Granger at
Sapphire Springs Resort, Charlene shared her enjoyment of the sunset. After a good ten minutes, she handed the phone back to Granger.
After saying goodbye to Daisy, Granger offered a simple “Thank you.”
“No need.”
By then, dusk had almost fully settled.
L
But the hill was lit by street lamps, making the descent easy.
Without further exchange, she turned to head down the hill, Granger following silently behind.
They reached the resort without exchanging a word and were about to enter when they ran into Vesta.
Vesta watched them show up one after another from the hill, her lips tightening into a thin line as she paused.
Charlene, acting as if Vesta wasn’t there, walked past her and into the lobby.
08:55
este wetched her leave, then turned to Granger with a frown, asking, “Granger, you guy
tran into each other on the hill, Granger said flatly.
Vista knew about Granger’s plan to video call Daisy and take pictures of the apple trees for her, so stumbling upon Charlene on the hill seemed plausible.
With this in mind, Vesta relaxed a bit, about to speak when Granger beat her to it, asking, “Where are they?” “They’re over by the gazebo. Everything’s ready for the bonfire party, they were just about to call you.”
“Alright
With that, they walked side by side towards the gazebo.
hapter 1
d
